Tatiana Syrtseva via Unsplash

SARMs are becoming more popular among teenagers despite the lack of research on the new substance.

In the midst of a pandemic, the interest of weight lifting has grown in teenagers across the world. Adolescents fantasized healthier and more active lives inside the weightroom. As teenagers strived for their dream physique, a nasty, unnatural substance has started increasing in popularity. 

Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, also known as SARMs, are an unhealthy way to speed up results from lifting. SARMs are considered to be “Anabolic Agents” that have similar properties to those of other anabolic steroids. This new anabolic agent is not a healthy or natural way to help the body grow muscle. 

Although SARMs are fairly new and not much research can be concluded about the long-term effects, scientists have voiced major concerns in the limited amount of studies conducted on them. The worries that resulted from these studies are fairly similar to those of steroids. SARMs users have had negative experiences with drastic mood swings throughout the day, a decrease in testicular size as well as unhealthy skin resulting in acne. Another severe side effect is the decrease in testosterone at the start of a cycle. 

An anonymous student at Pleasant Valley who does not use SARMs anymore shared their terrible experience with the new anabolic agent. “A major problem that I had was that my testosterone levels were down for about a week,” the student said. “ I felt like my energy was just zapped and it took awhile before I started to notice gains in the gym.” Even though SARMs may provide a quicker physique change to those who participate in the new substance, the side effects outweigh the positives. 

As the trend to build an appealing physique takes over teenagers, there is still a push to stay “natural.” Individuals that are natural do not use artificial resources to improve muscle growth. Such lifters do not trust the new anabolic agent because of the lack of research as well.

Senior Colin Meyer has recently become very interested in lifting and training his body. Meyer’s thoughts on SARMs are nothing short of strong disapproval. “I’ve noticed that recently it is becoming sort of a ‘trend’ among young people in the gym,” he said. “The problem with this is that SARMs are extremely dangerous because scientists have yet to find out the long term effects they have on our bodies. As more and more teenagers engage in these actions, it brings lots of concern because of the lack of research on it.” 

SARMs are still very new, and the lack of research brings up major concerns about the potential effects on an individual’s body that have yet to be discovered. This dangerous substance is not safe for teenagers trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The short-term gains in the gym may be convincing, but the destruction to the body is not worth the risk.